gems, jade, China, Adam, Chinese jade books, jade lore

Zhang Hongzhao’s Shí Yǎ (石雅, “Elegance of Stones”) is a pioneering attempt to reinterpret the mineral substances recorded in Chinese literature through modern mineralogy. Drawing extensively on classical texts, including the Shan Hai Jing and later historical, literary, pharmacological, and antiquarian sources, Zhang examines traditional names and descriptions and attempts to identify the materials to which they refer. The work is divided into three broad sections: the first concerns yù (玉) and related precious and ornamental stones, including 璆琳, 瓊瑰, and 水精; the second treats stones and mineral substances, including worked jade, decorative stones, and coal; and the third deals with metals. An appendix examines the historical development of China’s Bronze and Iron Ages. Particularly important for gemology is Zhang’s application of contemporary mineralogical knowledge to traditional Chinese gemstones and jade terminology, demonstrating that historical names cannot automatically be equated with single modern mineral species. The work consequently provides an important bridge between traditional Chinese lapidary literature and modern geology, mineralogy, and gemology and remains a major source for the historical study of Chinese stone terminology. The 1927 edition is a reprint, issued by the Central Geological Survey as Memoirs of the Geological Survey of China, Series B [乙種], No. 2; catalogues confirm the December 1927 reissue.